Simply Coupling TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanospheres with Cu<sub>2</sub>O Particles to Boost the Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution through p–n Heterojunction‐Induced Charge Transfer
Yang Ka, Gang Cheng, Rong Chen, Kai Zhao, Ying Liang, Weijie Li, Chao Han
Abstract
Developing an efficient photocatalyst for solar‐to‐hydrogen production is regarded as a promising approach to tackle the energy and environmental challenges that we are currently facing. Herein, the TiO 2 –Cu 2 O nanocomposite is synthesized via a chemical reduction approach at ambient temperature and used as a photocatalyst. The composition and structure characterizations indicate that Cu 2 O particles are loaded on the surface of TiO 2 nanospheres. The photocatalytic performance of the as‐obtained materials is evaluated by a solar‐to‐hydrogen production test. It is found that the optimized TiO 2 –Cu 2 O nanocomposite (TC‐20) exhibits a hydrogen evolution rate of 7139.02 μmol g −1 h −1 , which is nearly 7 times that of pristine TiO 2 . Based on the photoluminescence spectra and photo/electrochemical measurements, the boosted photocatalytic H 2 evolution performance comes from the promoted separation efficiency of photoinduced electron–hole pairs, which originates from the formed p–n heterojunction of the TiO 2 –Cu 2 O nanocomposite.